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Concepts in Religion, Spirituality & Health

Rels 120 10 September 2013. Concepts in Religion, Spirituality & Health. Write down 3 statements about yourself. 2 statements should be true. 1 statement should be false. Introduce yourself to your group and read aloud your 3 statements

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Concepts in Religion, Spirituality & Health

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  1. Rels 120 10 September 2013 Concepts in Religion,Spirituality & Health

  2. Write down 3 statements about yourself. • 2 statements should be true. • 1 statement should be false. • Introduce yourself to your group and read aloud your 3 statements • Group members should try to guess which statement is false rels 120 - appleby Tell 3 things

  3. rels 120 - appleby marooned Imagine that you (as a group) were marooned on a desert island. What 5 items do you wish you had taken with you? • Explain why you have made these choices.

  4. rels 120 - appleby Religion

  5. rels 120 - appleby Are you religious? Yes, I am religious, if “religious” means: No, I am not religious, if “religious” means:

  6. rels 120 - appleby INTRODUCTION: BASIC CONCEPTS • Religion • Spirituality • Health • Culture • Worldview • Beliefs • Values • Behaviour • Language

  7. What is the relationship between religion and culture? • Do we live in a Christian country? • Where in Canada would you be likely to find the greatest religious and cultural diversity? • Is there any significant diversity in Nova Scotia? • Are the linkages between religion and culture as strong now as they might have been 200 or 2000 years ago? Why, or why not? rels 120 - appleby religion and culture?

  8. “Religion” implies a sense of being “tied and bound” by relations of obligation towards higher or sacred powers forces of nature; supernatural; divine feelings of “fascination and dread” obligations articulated through myth obligations expressed in rituals religion is about power and meaning in relation to human destiny

  9. Durkheim: “A religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things” James: Religion is “the feelings, acts and experiences of [individuals]…in relation to whatever they may consider the divine” Tillich: Religion “points to that which is ultimate, infinite, unconditional in [a person’s] spiritual life…[to] ultimate concern” Our text says that these definitions need to be more precise, and need to differentiate terms more carefully. rels 120 - appleby Definitions of “religion” (P. 5 – 9)

  10. Melford Spiro’s definition: Clifford Geertz’s definition: G. J. Larson’s definition: Bruce Lincoln’s definition: rels 120 - appleby Four more promising definitions

  11. Religion is a cultural system Religion involves relating to the transcendent (beyond the normal or day-to-day earthly existence [mundane]) Religions involve a wide variety of phenomena (modes of expression or experience) Page 9: “Religion is a cultural system integrating teachings, practices, modes of experience, institutions, and artistic expressions that related people to what they perceive to be transcendent” rels 120 - appleby Working definition of “religion”

  12. RELIGION… Promotes social unity? Is the expression of human neurosis? Is the OPIUM of the people? WHAT IS THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN YOUR OWN LIFE? IN OUR LIVES AS A SOCIETY? rels 120 - appleby What does religion “DO”

  13. What is Ultimate Reality? How should we live in this world? What is our Ultimate Purpose? rels 120 - appleby 3 QUESTIONS ARE POSED AND ANSWERED

  14. What is the nature and role of the divine in a religious tradition? • Religions may be theistic or nontheistic • Theistic religions may be: • Polytheistic [many] or monotheistic [one] or henotheistic [many with one superior] or pantheistic [material is divine] • Nontheistic traditions may be: • Atheistic [no divinity] or monist [all reality is one] rels 120 - appleby What is ultimate reality? (see p.11)

  15. How is ultimate reality revealed to humanity? • in sacred texts • through a direct experience or transmission of revelation • By a founding figure • Through sacred places • Through nature • in cosmologies • stories of the origin, creation and order of the world rels 120 - appleby What is ultimate reality? (see p.11)

  16. Religious cosmologies are myths that convey the essential truths of life • Origins of humans and the world • Creation stories • Human destiny and expectations • shaping the goals and meaning of life (i.e., myths are NOT fictional accounts or entertaining stories) rels 120 - appleby Myth (Greek, mythos) = story

  17. What is good, what is evil, how should we act towards one another? What behaviours are right; what behaviours are wrong? How are ethical teachings and moral commandments revealed or discovered? rels 120 - appleby How should we live in this world? (p.14)

  18. What is the meaning of life? • How should we regard and prepare for death? • What is our fate after death? • How should we encounter or relate to what is ultimately sacred, or divine, or transcendent? • How do encounter “the Holy” • What is a numinous experience? • an experience of awe, fascination, attraction • a mystical or spiritual experience rels 120 - appleby What is our ultimate purpose (p.15)

  19. rels 120 - appleby What are the 7 dimensions of religion?

  20. TEACHINGS • Beliefs, doctrines, sacred myths, ethical guidance • WAY OF LIFE • Religious practices, rituals, emotional experiences • HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT • Social, artistic, political, cultural developments rels 120 - appleby Structure of this text

  21. Human activities and actions which serve to connect humans to that which is sacred • Individuals with the divine and one another • Communities with the divine and one another • Symbolic re-enactment of sacred stories and truths • Over the human life-span • Throughout the seasons and years rels 120 - appleby Rituals

  22. In Taiwan, “you run into a small temple every three steps and a large temple every five steps. Don't confuse the 'bai-bai' with the English farewell, 'bye-bye'. The bai-bai ritual is a very special part of life in Taiwan, and this is the first time I have ever stood with incense like this. It's an intrinsic part of the faith in Taiwan, and any time you feel troubled or confused, just go to a nearby temple - it's bound to bring you a measure of comfort and relief.” (from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zklLVB_X3CI) Culture in Taiwan: The Rituals of Religious Worship

  23. Do you celebrate Christmas? Or Thanksgiving? • How do you do this? • What does the celebration mean? • What do you eat? • Who do you see? • How do you prepare for the celebration? • Is there a “right” way or a “wrong” way to celebrate it? rels 120 - appleby Range of ritual activities

  24. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. How many examples of religious rituals can you think of?

  25. What is Religion? What are some of the questions religion seeks to answer? Key Characteristics of Religion What is our working definition of religion? List the seven dimensions manifested in religious traditions. The Sacred Define what is meant by the sacred in religion. Offer some examples of how the sacred is variously understood. How can atheism be considered a religion? rels 120 - appleby Study Questions (in table groups)

  26. rels 120 - appleby • Sign up for EITHER a Country Report OR a Religious Community in Canada Report • Work alone OR with a partner • Maximum group size is 3 people working together • Sign up today or Thursday

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